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HarpPlayerGene

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,682
Location
North Central Florida
rlk said:
4059760700_92542675ba_b.jpg

Some super hats being had by all but I think this is

The.
Best.
Disney.
Ever.

:eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap
 

CRH

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,272
Location
West Branch, IA
cookie said:
Could you post a few more snaps of the Whippet please? It looks NOS.


Nope, sorry, no more 'Cock Tails' for you, cookie :rolleyes: . The Whippet surely is NOS.

... Don't worry, I'll be strutting these around. Time to get the Whippet thread going again ...
 
Messages
10,930
Location
My mother's basement
Ephraim Tutt said:
This dusty brown Pedigreed needs another clean but I thought I'd post it in the meantime.
We don't seem to know much about Pedigree hats and this one contains no lables (other than the logos) to assist with information. What I can say is that the brand name appears to be 'Pedigreed', with the 'd' on the end. The motto reads:"A hat with a pedigree; a hat with a guarantee" - but the brand is stated as 'Pedigreed'.

I believe the brand is "Thoroughbred." I've had a couple of them pass through my hands, one of which I still have around here somewhere. Both of them had that "A hat with a pedigree, a hat with a guarantee" slogan on the liner tips.

My impression of them, based on that limited experience, is that they were of varying quality, not only from hat to hat, but also in the various materials and workmanship in a particular hat. The one that is no longer in my possession had some crummy felt, frankly. It was a quite large hat (a 7 3/4, as I recall), a Western which I converted to something more fedora like. I told its owner that if he wished for it to remain looking good, he'd be wise to avoid wearing it in the rain. The other hat is also a cowboy hat which I converted. The felt is pretty darned nice, really. But in trimming down the brim it became apparent that it left the factory with a decidedly uneven brim width. Removing the ribbon exposed a fairly large hole, a quarter inch or so, clean through the felt. How it got there I'll never know for sure, but seeing how I bought the hat new something like 25 (or more) years earlier, and that there was absolutely no evidence of insect damage to it or any other hat that came my way that didn't already have said damage, I am confident it had that hole when it left the plant. And the original sweatband was sewn on with a machine needle so big that daylight was plainly visible through the holes it made. If there is a good reason for using such a large needle, it completely escapes me.

So, poor quality control. Hit and miss.

I like the look of yours, though. It's very Whippet-esque. For whatever it's worth, it the first non-Western Thoroughbred I recall ever seeing, so I kinda wonder if maybe it, too, is a conversion. And, if memory serves, Thoroughbred was a somewhat down-market offering, a decent enough fur felt cowboy hat at a price significantly lower than that of, say, a Stetson.

The condition of the sweatband indicates that it hasn't been babied, and judging from the photos it has held up to the use pretty well. A closer look at it might provide evidence of it being a conversion. Or not. Does a peek under the band ribbon show any signs of the felt having faded? A good look at the binding might offer another clue, as would a look under the liner.
 

Ephraim Tutt

One Too Many
Messages
1,531
Location
Sydney Australia
tonyb said:
I believe the brand is "Thoroughbred." I've had a couple of them pass through my hands, one of which I still have around here somewhere. Both of them had that "A hat with a pedigree, a hat with a guarantee" slogan on the liner tips.

My impression of them, based on that limited experience, is that they were of varying quality, not only from hat to hat, but also in the various materials and workmanship in a particular hat. The one that is no longer in my possession had some crummy felt, frankly. It was a quite large hat (a 7 3/4, as I recall), a Western which I converted to something more fedora like. I told its owner that if he wished for it to remain looking good, he'd be wise to avoid wearing it in the rain. The other hat is also a cowboy hat which I converted. The felt is pretty darned nice, really. But in trimming down the brim it became apparent that it left the factory with a decidedly uneven brim width. Removing the ribbon exposed a fairly large hole, a quarter inch or so, clean through the felt. How it got there I'll never know for sure, but seeing how I bought the hat new something like 25 (or more) years earlier, and that there was absolutely no evidence of insect damage to it or any other hat that came my way that didn't already have said damage, I am confident it had that hole when it left the plant. And the original sweatband was sewn on with a machine needle so big that daylight was plainly visible through the holes it made. If there is a good reason for using such a large needle, it completely escapes me.

So, poor quality control. Hit and miss.

I like the look of yours, though. It's very Whippet-esque. For whatever it's worth, it the first non-Western Thoroughbred I recall ever seeing, so I kinda wonder if maybe it, too, is a conversion. And, if memory serves, Thoroughbred was a somewhat down-market offering, a decent enough fur felt cowboy hat at a price significantly lower than that of, say, a Stetson.

The condition of the sweatband indicates that it hasn't been babied, and judging from the photos it has held up to the use pretty well. A closer look at it might provide evidence of it being a conversion. Or not. Does a peek under the band ribbon show any signs of the felt having faded? A good look at the binding might offer another clue, as would a look under the liner.

That makes perfect sense Tonyb - many thanks for that. I have mistakenly assumed this hat came from the 'Pedigree" maker mentioned briefly in the list of classic hat makers and that 'Thoroughbred' was the model.

I see no evidence of it being cut down (not that I'd be expert in picking up the signs) and the felt under the ribbon shows no sign of fading at all.

I bought this hat, along with a Borsalino and Stetson Panama from an elderly lady who told me they belonged to her father who lived for a time in Hollywood. He was no cowboy and he tended to like the top end hats. Perhaps this was his beater! If he's had it cut down, then he's had an expert do it.

Whippet-esque eh? I hadn't thought of that till you mentioned it.
 

CRH

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,272
Location
West Branch, IA
CRH said:
Nope, sorry, no more 'Cock Tails' for you, cookie :rolleyes: . The Whippet surely is NOS.

... Don't worry, I'll be strutting these around. Time to get the Whippet thread going again ...


I can't seem to find the Whippet thread so here's a teaser.


hpim1781.jpg



It smells like the parlor in my Great Grandfather's house.
 
Messages
10,930
Location
My mother's basement
Ephraim Tutt said:
That makes perfect sense Tonyb - many thanks for that. I have mistakenly assumed this hat came from the 'Pedigree" maker mentioned briefly in the list of classic hat makers and that 'Thoroughbred' was the model.

I see no evidence of it being cut down (not that I'd be expert in picking up the signs) and the felt under the ribbon shows no sign of fading at all.

I bought this hat, along with a Borsalino and Stetson Panama from an elderly lady who told me they belonged to her father who lived for a time in Hollywood. He was no cowboy and he tended to like the top end hats. Perhaps this was his beater! If he's had it cut down, then he's had an expert do it.

Whippet-esque eh? I hadn't thought of that till you mentioned it.

My memory fails me sometimes, I suspect. Now it occurs to me that perhaps I'm confusing the large Thoroughbred with another hat I reworked for the same guy, and that the Thoroughbred was (is) a decent lid.

The felt in other one, the one I still have, has a nice feel and appearance, but as I recall it bled quite a bit of brown dye when I soaked its stripped down body in cold water. But that isn't all that unusual. Just a couple days ago I cleaned and blocked a Stetson Western (in a similar brown color) that did the same thing.
 

Ephraim Tutt

One Too Many
Messages
1,531
Location
Sydney Australia
Thanks again Tony. This one is certainly a quality hat. The maker, Thoroughbred, seems to be a bit of a mystery. I can find nothing about them anywhere - either on Google, here or elsewhere. As I said above, there's no lables or clues under the sweat to indicate where it was made. I assume it's American, but that's not stated anywhere.

As for the retailer, there's a 'New York Hats' shop at another address in Los Angeles but whether it's a descendent of the one that sold this hat I couldn't say.
 

texashatman

Familiar Face
Messages
76
Location
South Texas
CRH said:
You have good taste, texashatman. I'm relieved to hear that you are not a 7 1/4!

Now, hmmm... hmmm..Loose the feather... unless, of course you're a bird hunter, then by all means go out and get some feathers :D .

Thanks for the compliment and yes I lost the feather and removed the fishing line that held the band on in the front. The more I wear this thing the more I like it.

Spats McGee said:
I like it. That's a good look for you, texashatman. :eusa_clap

But there's nothing to see in 7 3/8 - 7 1/2 . . . honest. . . don't bother looking. :rolleyes:
Spats you don't have to worry about me being any competition for a while. My wife says no more hats till after the new year!

During a get together last night where I was wearing my new hat I had 2 elderly ladies approach me and say they both had hats I could have. One in her 80's said "I have some of my fathers old hats in some boxes in a closet" the other one said "I have some of my dads hats that he had custom made in New Orleans in the 40's"!!!! I'm about to go gather these treasures up! I can't believe the luck!!
 

Spats McGee

One Too Many
Messages
1,039
Location
Arkansas
texashatman said:
. . . .During a get together last night where I was wearing my new hat I had 2 elderly ladies approach me and say they both had hats I could have. One in her 80's said "I have some of my fathers old hats in some boxes in a closet" the other one said "I have some of my dads hats that he had custom made in New Orleans in the 40's"!!!! I'm about to go gather these treasures up! I can't believe the luck!!
Please post pictures of those when you get them.
 

buler

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,380
Location
Wisconsin
Portis Hunter

Here is a Portis Hunter with a distinctive ribbon treatment. I found the original ad (1938) for it too! Will add more pics in the Portis thread.

B

hunter_3.jpg


portis_hunter_life_10_3_1938_.png
 

rlk

I'll Lock Up
Messages
6,100
Location
Evanston, IL
buler said:
Here is a Portis Hunter with a distinctive ribbon treatment. I found the original ad (1938) for it too! Will add more pics in the Portis thread.

B

That is a great one! Looks like its in fantastic shape too.:eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap
 

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